In preparation for the New Year and goal setting, I remembered a workshop I attended last year on the role of visualization in the process.

The artful facilitator, Melanie, encouraged us to draw a circle and identify different areas of our lives.

• Health and fitness

• Social

• Relationship

• Financial

• Career

Melanie had us close our eyes. She played soothing music and had us daydream about each area of our lives.

During this guided imagery, I imagined myself in the “Seventh Inning Stretch” of a baseball game. It’s the time in a game when you can either ease up or you can come out strong and stretch to a higher level.

While I am not at the beginning of my career, I look at Jane Fonda, Cher, Dolly Parton, and Oprah who are doing great things in their sixties, seventies, and beyond.

When I hear my coaching clients tell me, “I only have three more years before I can retire,” I feel sad for them. I promote the thinking, “I only have three more years before I will be retiring, so I am thinking about how I can leave a legacy.”

If you are new in your career, what goals do you have? Are you taking advantage of the training and mentoring opportunities that your organization offers? If they do not offer these programs, start asking!

If you are in the middle of your career, what do you hope to accomplish in your industry? Who can you mentor and how can you leave your mark?

I welcome you to dream and think big! If you have never created a vision board, now would be a great time to build one.